Persona: Between Light and Shadows
by Phantom High
Summary: An original story.Naoki Juntomo, the nicest teen you'll ever meet is thrust into an extrodinary adventure. But to survive he needs to awaken to his self...both light and dark.Rated T to be safe and not good with summaries. Gets better as it progresses.
1. Prologue

Persona: Between Light and Shadows

April 5, 2014: Saturday

Two people are driving by the country side of Japan in a silver sedan model. One of them is somewhere in his early forties, wearing thick glasses, a very nice blazer suit set, and a neatly combed mustache. The other is a 16 year old boy with orange hair (like Ichigo from Bleach or Kyo from FB), wearing a tight black jacket, a cheap necklace, fingerless gloves, and a watch. The boy looks really annoyed and depressed.

"Hey…dad…" said the teen with voice that makes you think of Heavy Rain (I suck at describing things okay) "Are you sure we're going like this place? Not that I care though…"

"Don't worry Naoki." Said the father as he drives by through the scenery "My friend found a small place in the country for the both of us to live in. He also enlisted you into a local high school for you to attend to. I'm sure you'll like Shura." They see many sights, but none catches Naoki's eyes. Eventually they reached a quaint little town with a shopping district, a park, and other places with not much to do. The two of them drove uphill to reach a security booth who greets them with a smile. What they see isn't what they expect…

…It is a mansion, 5-stories high that looks incredibly clean and gaudy with its neatly trimmed gardens, a giant fountain in the shape of an angel, and luxurious yards. The pair is flabbergasted by all this.

"H-Hey…dad…I thought you said you brought a small place for us…not an entire mansion…" said Naoki slowly.

"I…I thought so as well…I mean I've asked my friend to find a small, cheap place to live in…"

"You don't mean…you're super-rich friends, do you? Cause to them, it seems cheap…" said Naoki as he is still lose for words to describe this.

"I guess so…" said Naoki's dad as he sighs "Well they already made the down payments to this place, so we should be courteous and stay there for a little bit."

(Great, we are here for 5 minutes and already I don't like this place one bit. How could this get any worse?) As soon as he finished that thought the double doors burst open and squads of maids are all ready to greet them. (Apparently the universe likes to ruin my day.)

"Welcome Master Arata Hijiko. We've been expecting you." greeted the head maid as they all bow their heads to him. "Although…we weren't expecting any guest that you'll bring to the mansion or we'll be more prepared."

"Huh? Oh, him…that's my son, Naoki Juntomo. And to be honest…we weren't planning to live in the mansion…" said Arata embarrassingly. He turns to Naoki and says "Sorry about that. I guess that wasn't what we had in mind. But maybe you'll like Suzihama High School."

"Yes, I just know you will like it." Said one of the maids "It's such a nice high school with: tons of activities, have a perfect record of students graduating, and are on the cutting edge of education."

"Oh, really?" said Naoki as he tries to put a smile (Something tells me I'm going to have SO much fun there.) He sighs and asks Arata if he could spend some time outside wondering around.

"Ah, that will be fine. Just get back before its dark or I'll call the police looking for you." he said the last statement with a smile. Naoki laughs it off, but he knows Arata WILL do it. The maid gives him a map around the country.

He heads to Zuki Shopping District where the people are doing something or conversing with other people. Naoki doesn't really mind the atmosphere and says hello to anyone who notices him. Things are really looking good to Naoki (Maybe it's not bad as I thought it'll be). While walking he sees some punks entering the drug store. Another moment later they're wrecking havoc inside with the owner to give back the medicines. Apparently nobody wants to get involved in this as they continue their lives. Three punks come chuckling on the rewards of it carrying a sack full of cash and bags of medicine.

"Boy did you see how that old hag's expression?" said the 1st punk.

"Yeah, TOO easy man!" exclaimed the 2nd punk.

"Maybe we should've done this a long time ago! After all, this town is full of cowards and weaklings anyway!" suggested the 3rd punk.

Naoki is silent for a minute as he walks towards the punks. He quietly get behind them and gently taps on their shoulder.

"Huh? What do you want you bit-"before the punk finishes his sentence Naoki punches in the cheek real hard. He proceeds by punching him again in the face, followed by rapid set of jabs to the abdomen, and finally a roundhouse kick squarely into the chest. Probably a bit overkill but did get the job done. He proceeds by breaking the other punk's jaw by using an uppercut. The last one tries to get away, but Naoki picks up a trash can and throws it at the punk. He picks up the stuff the thugs stole and return them to the owner.

"Why thank you young man." Said the old lady as she gets her belongings "I don't believe we've met before though…"

"Um, that's because I just moved here, but, damn, they were taking what isn't theirs. And yet, nobody tried to do a thing to help you." Said Naoki a bit bitterly.

"My, what a thoughtful young man you are." The store owner thinks about for a minute "Tell you want my dear…I will some type of reward for your troubles. And I won't take no as an answer."

"But…!"

"Don't worry about it my dear. It's my way of saying thanks." The store keeper gives Naoki 5000 yen and some ointments. "Be careful my dear and if you ever get sick than you can always come for medicine."

"Thank you ma'am." Said Naoki as he bows his head. He only realized that the fight drew a lot attention towards him with mixed results.

"Man this guy is trouble alright."

"Hey he took down some punks like it was child's play."

"Boy he looks cute."

"What is with the orange hair? Is he a juvie or something?"

"Mommy, will I be strong like that man over there?"

All this attention is starting to make Naoki nervous. People staring at him just make him feel uncomfortable…like he did something wrong. (W-What did I do? Can't those people figure it out from my…whatever I showing?)

"They're just simply impressed by your skills." Said a teenage girl among the crowd. She is wearing a pure white gown, a short skirt covered in sparkling glitter, and a military cap with a 6-pointed star on it. She has silver gray hair that is made to be in a bun style. Based from her height and other features, she can't be any older than Naoki.

"Please forgive my rudeness. My name is Miyuki Chisaome." Introduced Miyuki

"Um…nice to meet you…name's Naoki Juntomo." Replied Naoki without any confidence. It's not like he can't talk to girls, but this is the first time he ever talked to someone so…_casually._

"So you must be the new kid moving to Shura, huh?" stated Miyuki elegantly "I'm sure you'll like it here."

"T-Thanks, I guess." Replied Naoki as he looks at his watch. "Well I better get going. Dad will super worry if I'm not home on time. Hope to see you at Suzihama High!" Later that evening Naoki calls out saying he's here. He hears Arata talking to somebody in the living room. Naoki smiles when Arata is talking to his latest patient who is grieving over the loss of her son. (That's dad, the psychiatric.)

He heads up to his room to see everything is set up. A bookshelf, a tv, some of his toy models he made, study desk with his textbooks, a coffee table for various activities, and a futon. The walls are adorned with various posters of video games and anime. He sighs as he looks out to the window next to the bookshelf.

(Man why couldn't dad and I get that small apartment like we hoped. Seriously this place is too big and the only other residents are the butlers and maids. Geez, how can rich people live like this?) thought Naoki. He looks at his watch…11:55 pm. He sets up his futon hastily and lies down to go to sleep.

Elsewhere, in a spacious building that looks like a castle from England, Miyuki opens the huge double doors and enters the place. The interior room is pure white with suits of armor lining up in a row with a sword and a shield. The chandeliers are made of glass and emit such light that you need shades to marvel at the elegance. Literally. The floors are made out of silver marble whose lust shines so brightly it might even get a blind man's sight back.

"Ah, Miyuki, my dear, welcome back." A man comes to Miyuki in the room. He must be in his early forties, wearing what appears to be yellow regal suit, a white cape, and is carrying a rapier. He has a smoothly combed gray mustache, his face doesn't emit any negative emotions, and he has very long hair. "Tell me, how was your search for allies to aid in our quest?"

"Good news, Lord Cyphele, I think I found someone with THAT power." Stated Miyuki as she bows her head.

"You 'think'?"

"Well…I couldn't the obvious signs, but I felt it for sure."

The two of them converse and plan for their next move for a good while. Behind them is a picture of two people…a man and a woman with their privates covered.

**Author's notes: Hope you enjoy this story. This is actually my first fan fic, so I really enjoy if you can give some constructive criticism. Please tell me what I can improve on and I'll give it my all.**


	2. Fitting In

**Chapter 2**

Naoki is peacefully snoring the night away. There is no reason why he shouldn't wake up since he has a day off tomorrow. Yes, he is having a blissful sle-

"Welcome…to the Velvet Room." Said an eerie voice. Naoki wakes up from that voice and is wide awake. He looks around his surroundings and immediately knows this isn't his room. The room is colored dark blue from the carpet to the ceiling. Against the walls are monitors that are hooked up by something. There is a plain-old ceiling fan that is showing it's natural colors which doesn't mix with this room.

Naoki looks straight at the man who said that. He is behind a maple desk along with a boy who looks around at Naoki's age.

"Ah, I see you have finally awakened." Said the strange, little man…You probably think he's some type of midget with his small stature. He has a crooked nose that is 10 cm long at least, mostly bald, and his eyes seem to pierce through everything. The teenager is wearing a dark blue buttoned shirt, a blue cap of sorts, has bleached white hair that is flattened out while the sides are down, and is exerting some type of professional aura.

"My name is Igor, the owner of the Velvet Room." Greeted Igor

"My name is Theodore, the assistant to Master Igor." Introduced Theodore with his arms crossed.

"Uh…okay… so why am I'm here? Better yet, where is here?" asked Naoki

"This place, the Velvet Room, is a place that exists between dream and reality, mind and matter." Explained Igor

"So basically it's all in my head?"

Theodore sighs as he pulls out a piece of paper and explains "Please sign this contract. This will allow you to have free access to the Velvet Room as only those who signed it are allowed to enter."

Naoki looks up and thinks to himself (Wow, stuck-up much). He puts down his name and Igor summons the paper back in his hand. Igor proceeds by giving Naoki a blue, velvet key that looks like a Keyblade from Kingdom Hearts only smaller.

"With this you are now allow to visit the Velvet Room anytime you wish. " chuckled Igor "It is almost time to leave, but do expect us to call through your dreams. Until we meet again, take care." As Igor finishes that statement the room is engulf in light.

**4/6/2014 Sunday**

Naoki wakes up in his room and groans about a headache. Since there's school tomorrow he decides to look around town. Downstairs at the kitchen, Arata is trying to make scramble eggs. Key word "**TRYING"**. By some strange twist of fate, the yolk explodes and the egg whites are scattered across the stove. He insists to the maids that everything is alright as he tries to clean up the mess. Unknown to him, Naoki was watching it all from the entryway.

"D-Dad…maybe I should cook breakfast today…" offered Naoki

"No, no, I got this. I can handle as simple as cooking eggs."

"DAD! The last time you tried to cooked eggs the house burned down because of a flaming egg clanged to the wall!" pointed Naoki. What he said is 100% true…thus one of the many reasons why they had to move out. Eventually Arata finally gives and let Naoki make the eggs and coffee. After breakfast Arata went to the study room for work leaving Naoki to explore a bit until it gets dark.

First stop is the shopping district. Naoki decides to wear a cap since he doesn't want to be recognized. After spending 20 minutes in the busy shopping district he takes off the cap. Surprisingly, nobody seems to notice him which is very good for him. He heads to the drug store where the owner gives him a smile. Naoki goes to the freezer section and picks up two popsicles with the cream filling. After paying for the ice cream, he heads out while enjoying the ice cream.

"There you are!" said Miyuki as she runs to Naoki.

Naoki greets Miyuki with a warm look "Hey, there… I didn't actually think you will find me."

"I'm actually surprised too. I was thinking `maybe I should look for Naoki today` and here we are. But…um…what is that?"

Naoki wonders what she was talking about until he realizes what she's pointing at. Upon the realization he couldn't help but look at her and say "W-What? You never saw an ice cream before?"

"Ice…cream…?" Said the confused Miyuki as she wonders. "What is that?"

If this were a cartoon than Naoki's mouth will drop to bottom of the earth. "It's a frozen dairy treat that is…best served cold…" Naoki struggles to find the right words "…it's a dairy product in a solid state that is soft enough for the teeth to go through without much difficulty. The main ingredient is milk and sugar along with natural and artificial flavors."

"Um…okay?" said the still puzzled Miyuki "I think I understand."

(Damn…can't believe she doesn't know about ice cream…more importantly, I can't believe I just explained what it is without missing a beat.) He thought to himself. He offers Miyuki to try one of the popsicles

"I'm sorry, but I must refuse. If I were to ingest something like an ice cream than my soul is sentenced to 20 years of damnation." She replied so simply it just hurts Naoki.

"But…But ice cream is just so good, so pure, and so innocent. I don't see how it's sin." Said Naoki

Miyuki is silent for a moment while Naoki eats the Popsicle. The two of them walks around a bit in silence. Finally she asks a question.

"Um…do you have any friends?" she asked

Naoki thinks about it and replies "Well…to be honest…I don't have any friends at all." He suddenly becomes quiet and somberly says "I guess it has to do with me being a tough guy and stuff."

Miyuki is processing what Naoki said and asks "So why don't you try to give up being tough then?"

"I guess I would have, but a lot of people pick on nice guys like those punks yesterday. I guess…I fight for the nice guys." He checks his watch to see the time. "Then again, it might be because I just like to fight." The rest of the walk was uneventful…if not for random people accusing Naoki and Miyuki as a couple. They depart to home at 7:00 p.m.

Arata is trying to hook up the television in the living room by himself. After what seems forever he finally got it and proceeds to search for the remote control…that is in his back pocket. He hears the door open and knows who it is."Welcome home Naoki! How was your day?" he asked with a welcome tone.

"It's…um…kind of…dull, believe it or not." Said Naoki as he notices the remote in his dad's back pocket."

"Really…?" said Arata as he searches through the couch "Because I heard you were spending time with someone…like a girl…" he adds a smirk with that last statement.

Naoki sighs and says "Dad…Miyuki and I just met yesterday and thought it'll be a good idea to spend some time together." Arata laughs and states that his son has a crush on Miyuki. (Oh man, here it goes…since 12, dad has been trying to hook me up with a date. Unfortunately, my chances of getting a girlfriend are between 0 and -0.)

"Now if I can just find that blasted remote I can get back to watching Desperate Housewives."

Naoki slaps his head and points to Arata's backside.

**4/7/2014 Monday**

Naoki wakes up at 5:30 in the morning and puts on his uniform. His uniform his a gray jacket and slacks with no particular features. According the rule book, there is no crime to put on accessories on it as long it is appropriate. He puts a Jack Frost patch on the shoulder, a badge that resembles a Mitama, and an arm band. The maids were already finished making breakfast when Naoki gets down stairs. After a quick meal of hot cakes he heads out to Suzihama High. His route includes through the shopping district, the Yamata Bridge, and through the park with a well-kept shrine.

When he reaches his school he is shocked. It is a 3-story high building with walls surprisingly snow white, the windows are washed so well it gives a bright glare, there are hedges cut to perfection in a smooth looking shape, and there is even a fountain in the middle of the entrance!

(This…) though Naoki as his eye twitches (This…is supposed to be a high school? It freaking looks like a private academy for the rich and snobby!) He looks around to see if Miyuki is here or not because he doesn't want to be lost on his first day. He sighs when he couldn't catch a glimpse of her. He heads the faculty office, which is next to the entrance, for his schedule and a map of the school grounds. According to the school schedule, his homeroom is 2-D where he'll be for the year.

"What took you so long, you asshole?" said a gruff voice from the doorway. Naoki turns around to a disgruntled man, standing like 160cm (5"4'ft), a bit overweight, practically bald, and with a mean expression. He glares with such intensity that you wish Nyx would take you away and kill you so you won't have to face that horrible glare in your lifetime again. "Well what are you waiting for jerk? Get in here right now!" Naoki walks into the classroom where the students are talking about trivial things until the teacher gets their attention.

"Alright slackers, now listen up! This juvenile delinquent was kicked out from his last school with those gangster activities, his dyed hair, and got into a lot of trouble. So feel free to treat him like crap if you want. Now transferee you can introduce yourself." Said the Bald Teacher

Naoki just stares at the teacher for his baseless conclusions and states "My name is Naoki Juntomo and I hope I get to know you guys." He said that with a warm smile.

"That nice façade will-"started the Bald Teacher, but Naoki cuts him off.

"By the way, I'm not actually a delinquent though I do get into fights. But I don't cause them…I finish them before somebody gets seriously hurt or gets too chaotic. Also I really hate gangsters because I just do. Finally…this is actually my natural hair color." Naoki smiles to his classmates, exerting a friendly aura from him. Still the class doesn't want to look at him as though he feels like he shouldn't be here…like he shouldn't have the right to _exist…_

This really hurt Naoki deep down and thinks to himself (I guess…nobody really wants to be my friend, huh?) He somberly takes an empty seat without really thinking. He wants to space out and just want to go home…though it doesn't exactly feel home. Just before the bell rings a girl clears her throat quite loudly. Naoki turns around to ask if there's a problem, but can't help but smile…

…it was Miyuki who cleared her throat.

"Hey Naoki." Chuckled Miyuki as Naoki smiles when he sees his friend. "Sorry I didn't meet you at the entrance and that you had to put up with Mr. Kaislade lame lectures." She smiles with such warmth you can't help but smile back. "By the way I came here since this will be the last time I'll come to this homeroom."

Naoki's eye widen up a bit by that statement. "B-But this is the first day of the new term!"

Miyuki bites her lower lip and says "I know, but it turns out they made a mistake, so I'll go to 1-A as my homeroom starting tomorrow." She tries to avert her focus from Naoki's eyes, not wanting to see the sad expression on his face. She thinks Naoki is going to be angry at her.

But Naoki does the exact opposite and says in a positive tone "No sweat! There's always the lunch break!" Apparently that surprises Miyuki leaving her with a dumbfounded expression.

"Oh, by the way, I want to tell you something during lunch, so can we meet at the roof?" asked Miyuki to which Naoki agrees to be there. During Kaislade's lecture, he focuses and listens intently for a good impression that he cares. His next period is English…his worst nightmare. That's due to the fact that he can't understand it too well since he's already having trouble with advanced Japanese. That's not to say it is his worst subject, but it just so freaking frustrating with those words and syllables. After that was science, which the teacher wears…um…something like a Power Ranger suit (or in Persona, Phoenix Featherman R) where he lectures about chemistry and prays that nothing will blow up spontaneously. Next was P.E where they have to run some laps and after that the students are free to do whatever…provided they get the pop question right. Fortunately, a female student with ruffled black hair, a tough looking build, and a smug expression answers the question correctly.

Naoki decides to lie down on the field when he hears his other classmates talking about something interesting.

"Hey, did you heard about this morning's news?" ask the Gossiping Student excitingly

"Nah, I'm not well informed as I used to." Responded the Listening Student "But if I remember correctly, wasn't there a crook in this town?"

"Yeah, and guess what?" he didn't even wait for him to guess "They found him in a bloody pulp in an alleyway this morning!"

"Whoa, seriously! Hey, do you think it's the work of the legendary Midnight Warriors?" asked the Listening Student with awe.

"Well that's what the reporters said, so yeah, it has to be them." the Gossiping Student looks up to the sky and said "Man, they're like heroes! HEROES! I so want to be a hero like them!"

Naoki is highly curious about what those two are talking about and walks towards to them. He politely interrupts the conversation between the two students.

"Oh, you're that transfer student aren't you?" asked the Listening Student with glee.

"Um, yeah…name's Naoki Juntomo. So what are you guys talking about?"

"Oh, that's right; you're not from this country. I guess since you only moved here nobody told about the Midnight Warriors." Said the Gossiping Student "Basically they're a group of people who are super heroes knocking out bad guys left and right. The moment when the crook's crime reaches news…BAM…they get beaten up with in a 30 day period!"

By the time P.E finishes, it is the lunch break…the time to meet Miyuki at the roof. Naoki had some trouble finding the stairs when he realized the stairs connected to the roof is on the first floor. He mutters "I are smart…" purposely when he's not looking at his map correctly. He finally got to the roof with Miyuki sitting on the sides.

Miyuki is slowly drawing something on her sketchbook and was so absorbed that she didn't notice Naoki opening the door. Feeling a bit devious, Naoki clears his throat which surprises her and quickly closes her sketchbook. "Oh my, I wasn't expecting you to be here early." She said "Um…I'll just get to the point."

"…Okay…?"

"Are you…" said Miyuki as she has some trouble finding the right words "Are you in any extracurricular activities right now? No, what I meant to say was, are you interested in joining them?"

"Not yet, but I hope this school has a 'Fight Club'." Replied Naoki

"In that case…would you like to join the group called…the White Society?" asked Miyuki hopefully

"…The White Society? What do they do?"

"Basically, we are trying to eradicate this world from its sins and bring a select few to join our cause." Smiled Miyuki as though the very thought gives her some adrenaline. For some reason Naoki is starts to have a nagging voice that he shouldn't do this…like his spider senses are tingling.

(What should I do? I only known her for two days and seems a very sincere and honest person. But I think my instincts are telling me to refuse to join this society! Still that will be very rude of me to refuse and dad says I should be thoughtful abut people giving me offers.) Thought Naoki as he glances to Miyuki's radiating smile (Geez…than perhaps I'll look around for today, maybe spend the night there, and make my decision than.) "Okay, but I just want to look around first okay? I also need to call dad since he WILL call the police if he doesn't know where I am."

Miyuki keeps smiling that radiating smile and says "Fair enough."

**Igor: Welcome…to the disclaimer. I'm sure you all know this but I'm Igor and my assistant, Theodore, will explain the rest.**

**Theo: the company Atlus owns the Persona series, the Velvet Room, Master Igor, and myself. However, the Observer owns Naoki, Miyuki, Mr. Arata, Suzihama High, and Shura.**

**Igor: Very good Theodore. But aren't we forgetting something?**

**Theo: Actually, I'm supposed to retrieve our document retaining ownership for the Velvet Room from Atlus. If you excuse me, I must get dress for this errand**

**Theo walks out from the Velvet Room and the camera focuses on Igor again.**

**Igor: Our guest is interested on what you think about his story. If you have any reasonable complaints then please respond. He also requests for a beta-reader, so if you can indulge some of your time to him than he'll be most delighted. Until the next chapter…may we meet again.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

**Persona & Shadows**

Naoki calls his dad that he won't be home for tonight as he is going to check out the dorm where Miyuki lives (along with a premonition that Naoki will finally get himself a girlfriend according to Arata). Surprisingly, Miyuki actually owns a car…a white luxury car that is so clean and well-kept. Saying Naoki is nervous is an understatement. He is sweating bullets because he doesn't want to ruin Miyuki's luxury car. Apparently it must have been written all over his face because she tells him its okay for him to ride on it. Eventually, Miyuki has to use her 'feminine wiles' to convince him to get in the car.

In all it is a pleasant drive though Naoki doesn't feel comfortable to be in the same space with Miyuki…for reasons I don't know. It is actually pretty entertaining to see the citizens to see that luxury car but realizes it is Miyuki driving.

"Wow, I had no idea you are famous in town." Complimented Naoki

"Ha ha, guess I never noticed it until now." Laughed Miyuki

They continue to drive out of town and into the country side. According to Miyuki, their destination is only 1km away. Naoki is highly curious as to what Miyuki's dorm will be. He secretly wishes that he could make some friends there. By the time Miyuki says they're here Naoki finally looks up and wasn't prepared for what is he seeing…

…is a castle. The front entrance has two beautiful stain glass windows, the mahogany doors are carved with various figures, and the handles are made of crystal glass. The main building reminisce a chapel of some sort…perhaps some type of castle and chapel hybrid? All Naoki knows is that it is very large, but doesn't have a scale as to how large it is.

"It is approximately has 25-30 floors, 200 master bedrooms, 50 magnificent restrooms, 3 luxurious kitchens for some reason, the state-of-the art elevators for easy transportation, a serene garden out back, and complete with a homeless man." Explained Miyuki for Naoki's sake

Although now Naoki is even more confuse. "Did…you just say…a homeless man?" asked Naoki. He feels like his head is about to bleed from processing too much information.

"Yeah, but he's on vacation. And don't ask any questions as to how he could afford it. We can't have any unnecessary plot holes in this."

"But didn't YOU make that plot hole…by intentionally saying there's a hobo there?"

"Didn't I just said…" said Miyuki as she waves her hand around "…not to ask…any questions?"

(What is she trying to do? Is she actually going use the' Jedi Mind Trick'?) Thought Naoki and decides he's not going to ask any more questions.

Inside is even more magnificent. There are rows of suits of armor against the walls that seems recently polished, an elegant chandelier that has an angel on top of it, several statues depicting a man and a woman, and a glass round table in the middle of the room. Sitting on one of the glass chairs is…

"Good afternoon Lord Cybele." Greeted Miyuki formally

"Please Miyuki; you don't have to always be formal with me. Especially with our new guest here." Chuckled Cybele and looks to Naoki with a warm gaze.

"Um, nice to meet you; my name is Naoki Juntomo."

"It is my pleasure wonderful to make your acquaintance Naoki-san." Said Cybele as he offers his hand for a handshake

"It's my pleasure to meet you Cybele-sama." Said Naoki "You have a really nice place here… nice and _big._"He can't help but look around for other people nervously.

Miyuki figures what Naoki is thinking and says "Ah yes, I forgot to mention that our regulars are on a trip and should be back by tomorrow."

Naoki quickly turns around to Miyuki and wonders (What the heck? Is everybody here a mind reader?) He put his attention back to Cybele and asks "So what do you guys do? I mean, I already ask Miyuki-san but she was kind of…vague."

Cybele laughs a little bit and explains in a mysterious tone "Our roles are similar to that of the Midnight Warriors. We enforce the laws of this country more effectively than that of the police. In fact, International Policemen, or Interpol, considers the White Society as one of their ally…a small one dare I say." Cybele notices the time on the grandfather clock and sighs "I'm sorry, but I have some preparations I must take care of. Miyuki, can you be a dear and show your friend around?" Miyuki nods.

First they tour the ground floor, which has a lot of open spaces…enough to have a game of soccer. Naoki starts getting that bad feeling again…like there's something wrong with the picture and should know this. A couple dozen knights wearing silver medieval armor carrying long swords pass through here (Miyuki said they're the security force). By the time evening comes they eat dinner at the dining hall. The menu consists of lobster, butter bread rolls, vegetable soup, and Caesar salad. For dessert it is a cake on fire which is really nice. Everybody is having a good time…except for Naoki.

"What is the matter Naoki? Are you not hungry?" asked Cybele out of pure concern when Naoki didn't touch his food.

"Well…to be honest…I'm really allergic to sea food. I normally don't dislike salad except the Caesar, and I'm actually too scare to eat that cake." Said Naoki honestly

"Goodness gracious, why didn't you tell us before then? I shall ask the chefs to prepare another dish for your liking." Said Cybele

"Um…that's alright…I really don't want to burden anybody…" replied Naoki "I'll just make my own." He runs off to the kitchen and starts cooking some soba noodles from scratch. For the soup base he sliced some tomatoes, celeries, ginger, and mix it with chicken powder. It took him one hour to finish this, but it was worth it. He eats his noodles in the kitchen since he figures Miyuki and Cybele are tired and return to their rooms.

"Wow that looks really good!"

Naoki turns around, with the noodles dangling from his mouth, to see Miyuki at the entrance with the same radiating smile.

Naoki got fluster by her presence. "Um, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be rude or anything." Said Naoki, nervously

"That's okay. Though…" Miyuki looks down and said "…I should be the one who has to apologize." Naoki looks up to her and is confused. "You only got here just a couple of days ago and I…I forced you to come here." She bit her lip by her own agony. "I guess… I can be…selfish…"

Naoki looks at Miyuki, who is at the verge of tearing up. Miyuki is doing her best to keep her tears in check, but one came out without her noticing. Naoki listen to Miyuki trying to keep herself from crying for a minute or two. "You're not selfish Miyuki." Comforted Naoki. "Remember, I came to my own accord. Besides…the only reason I even came here…was to make some new friends. I guess that's pretty selfish of me, huh?"

Miyuki suddenly stopped crying and look at Naoki funny until she yells "SELFISH? YOU? PLEASE! YOUHAVE GOT TO BE THE NICEST AND KINDEST PERSON TO EVER WALK ON THE EARTH!" That certainly surprised Naoki as he falls down on his soba noodles on his butt. Miyuki can't help but laugh by this incident while Naoki tries to remove the soup from his old beat up jeans.

"Seriously, you are one of the few people to exert so much kindness that it is practically infectious…maybe." She looks at the old grandfather clock and exclaims "Oh, it's almost time to go to bed. I'll take you to the guest room."

The two of them climb up the stairs to the fourth floor and to the end of the east hallway. All the doors are made out of real marble; the floors have some sort of gold texture: and the walls…are just painted pearly white. Naoki is marveling (and being overwhelmed) by the sheer magnificence of this castle until…

"Is there a window in the guest room?" he asked all of a sudden.

"Yes and it gives a good view of the-"replied Miyuki until she was cut off by Naoki

"Can I open it?" Miyuki looks at him questionably "To get fresh air in?" he added nonchantly.

Miyuki just nods her and opens the guest room. Inside is a nicely made bed, a table, a tea set, a closet, a bookshelf, a work desk, and…to Naoki's relief…a window that gives an amazing view of the whole town. She asked if Naoki wants anything and says he doesn't want anything right now. She closed the door as Naoki opens the window. Just as she was about to leave she hears Naoki breathing heavily…

Miyuki opens the door on the first floor. Inside is some type of monitor hooked up to the CPU, some of those same knights before, and Cybele is staring at the monitors. He turns his attention to Miyuki and somberly says "I have now confirmed that he has the potential Miyuki."

"I see Lord Cybele…than why the long face?" she asked

"As you know very well, I can see the person's Personae and Arcana. Remember how I told you are the Judgment Arcana and your Persona is Trumpeter?" Cybele didn't wait for Miyuki to answer and goes back to staring at the monitors. "But what really troubles me is that while he DOES have the potential, I can't sense EITHER his Persona or Arcana…it's quite infuriating actually." Cybele takes a bottle of fine wine and pours it into a glass."To make matters worse, I sensing he has the same energies as THEM."

Miyuki is surprise by the last statement and exclaims "You don't mean…? But that's impossible! How is it possible to hold two different, yet similar, entities?"

Cybele didn't respond automatically to Miyuki's question and instead sips on his wine. "It's…about to begin. Miyuki…prepare for 'Shadow Time.'"

The clock strikes at midnight…the sky seems to have gotten darker…the ground falls dead…people becoming unconscious…shadows looming in from every corner

All of a sudden Miyuki's cell phone starts ringing to the ringtone of 'One Winged Angel'. She answers it…"Hello? Yes…uh huh…WHAT? They're coming HERE? No, don't worry about it…I'll arrange the knights to attack them. Just get into the castle!" Miyuki turns off her cell phone and speaks to Cybele. "My Lord, can you order the knights for me? I need to get Juntomo out before the situation gets worse for him."

Cybele solemnly nods his head. "Use the Garden of Sanctuary to barricade both of you. Also be careful…" warned Cybele "…you can't summon your Persona right now, as it needs more time to recover from your battle with the Devil."

Miyuki nods her head and quickly dashes to Naoki's room, armed with a rapier.

Meanwhile, Naoki is still sleeping peacefully, unaware of the danger outside. He thought that since Igor and Theodore aren't calling for him, he could have the beauty sleep he needs. If only he knew how wrong he was.

_**"It is time…"**_ said a mysterious voice. That voice scared Naoki into waking up. He is looking around to see the owner of that voice in vain…because he heard it for the last 10 or so years in his life. _**"The time has come…to awaken your power…that has lied dormant for many years."**_

Naoki grudgingly wakes up and rubs his eyes. (Not again…I really need to sleep.)All of a sudden, he hears someone banging on the door with a person's voice in a frantic tone.

"Wake up Naoki! We got to get out of here! It's not safe here!" she bellowed

It took only a second for the message to sink into Naoki and hastily opens the door. (We must be in BIG trouble because Miyuki-san is carrying some sort of sword…probably for self-defense…) he follows Miyuki to back entrance of the mansion.

"There's a secret passageway in the Garden of Sanctuary that we can escape to! But we have to move quickly or they will get us!" shouted Miyuki as she opens the door.

The garden is full of trees that sway peacefully back and forth, exotic flowers are blooming beside the trees, and a crystal gazebo is there in the center. The only thing that contrasts this scenery is the violent dark clouds in the sky, forming some sort of monstrosity. They both follow a dirt road until they see a rusty and old iron gate that leads to the tunnel. Miyuki pulls the lever with a lot of effort (since Naoki doesn't know what is exactly going on). No matter how much effort and strength she puts in, the lever won't simply budge. Naoki pushes Miyuki aside and tries to pull down the lever. In all honesty, Naoki is putting a lot of pressure into it and keeps pulling. To his dismay, he only moved the lever a little bit until he hears some sort organ, playing a song of prayer. That's when he realizes that Miyuki answers her cell phone and looks even more panicked.

"We got to go back the castle right now…" she said solemnly "…Apparently they only want one target. Ooh, if only I brought extra weapons so you can actually defend yourself, Naoki-san."

(Okay…she thinks I need something to defend myself with…anything) thought Naoki as he frantically looks around until he settles with a branch from one of the trees. "Don't worry Miyuki…I got a stick…that has to be classified as a weapon."

Miyuki's jaw simply dropped and shouted "A STICK? ARE YOU SERIOUS? I mean, sure if this is the 'Mother' series than it'll probably have like 20+ Attack. But this is 'Shin Megami Tensei' for goodness sake! It has…what 9+ Attack and has a 92 Hit Rate?"

Miyuki shakes her head and says that they should keep going. They run back to the castle until Miyuki stops Naoki by grabbing him by the collar. Naoki was about to ask why she stopped him, but sees what is in front of them…small black blobs that don't resemble anything AT ALL. The only things Naoki could make out are the thin black arms carrying long (at least 15cm long) knives and a blue mask that seems to be surveying the area for other people to murder, like a bad replica of Friday the 13th.

"Crap! Quick! To the gazebo!" shouted Miyuki as she leads the stunned Naoki out of the area. By the time they got here Miyuki is already out of breath. "*gasp* *gasp* how are you…*gasp*…holding up…Naoki?" She takes a seat only to inhale air sharply and exhale slowly.

"How am I'm doing? I should be asking the same thing to you!" said Naoki as he looks around for those strange black blobs.

"I…I think I'm going to be okay…but we need to get back to the castle…it is not-"Miyuki's statement never finish because of unharmonious slashing to the trees caught their attention. The sound gets closer and closer until…_slash_…the two trees that blocked their perspectives collapse down. The black blob, or monster, slowly crawls to the two helpless teens…well at least one of them since he has nothing but a STICK! The black creature brandishes it's many knives and starts picking up the pace and heads towards them.

Miyuki charges in with her rapier high in the air and clashes swords with the shadowy creature. She swings the rapier to the right so that the black blob blocks with two swords formed like an x -shaped cross. The creature retaliates by swinging one of those knives, aiming to cut Miyuki's head off, but she ducks underneath at the last second. She proceeds by stabbing the creature into the main body only for her attack to be stopped by one of those long thin arms. She quickly sidesteps from a swift stab and tries to return an attack, but what she didn't notice is that the shadowy creature was preparing to sucker punch Miyuki…and it worked. Apparently, the punch was so hard that it send Miyuki flying back to the gazebo. She tries to get up while holding a broken rib in place as Naoki tries to help her get up…until Naoki hears that voice again.

"_**It is almost time…"**_

The black blob sees the gazebo and dashes towards to it. Naoki thought things couldn't possibly get worse with that monster of a headache of his.

"_**The time has finally come! Release the power you've been holding for those many years! Awaken to your will!"**_

Then, all of a sudden, Naoki snaps out of his headache, but he is in a daze. To him, the whole world is going by slowly, seconds becomes hours, minutes becomes as micro eternities. He slowly turns around to the black creature coming to him and Miyuki. He loosens his grip on the stick until he let goes of his weapon. Then…something feels warm in Naoki's pocket. He slowly pulls out to see a rather unique card.

The card has a picture of a sun…or is it a face? It has a checker pattern with the light blue squares next to the black squares in the mentioned pattern. Flipping over the card reveals…nothing, but a white blank on the other side of this card. After a few seconds a soft blue light cover the whole gazebo and the monster hides it's mask to avoid that light. Miyuki suddenly feels more comfortable when she sees the source of the light. The card that Naoki is holding on the palm of his hand is the source of the light.

Naoki keeps on staring at the card with the look of some madman who is drunk with power. His eyes dilate, hands trembling, and the rush of adrenaline coursing through his body. Without reason, without thought, Naoki whispers one word that will change his life…forever.

"_Per…so…na…"_

The card starts glowing brighter and brighter until it creates something like a pillar of light around Naoki. Naoki crushes the card with his right hand. The mentioned hand looks as though it is on fire with blue flames, but is not searing through the skin at all. He doesn't seem to notice as he screams as he releases all that energy in a satisfied tone.

_**"Thou art I…and I am thou…"**_ The voice that had haunted Naoki for the past 10 years is starting to materialize between the gazebo and the monster._** "From the Sea of the Soul, the powers are now within your reach." **_The figure starts materializing in the light. The figure looks like a well-build man with long orange hair that goes all the way to his shoulders, is wearing a white and tight tunic with a chainmail underneath it, wearing a white skirt that reaches to his ankles, and is wielding a one-hand sword with the handle being completely golden and the blade gleams like silver underneath the moon's light. But the most prominent trait of all is the man's wings…or six of them. The wings' feathers look as soft as doves' feather and flap magnificently. The winged man swings his sword once and proclaims _**" I am Helel, the Angel of Grace." **_The angel, Helel, descends down gracefully while parrying the black blob's rapid slashes.

Helel only changes his guard position ever so slightly, as if he was predicting where the next attack is going to hit him. Once the blob stops it's relentless attacks, Helel slashes off one of it's arms off. Angered by this, it decides to throw all of it's knives to Helel. Naoki feels like he knows something that Helel can do and knows the word for it.

"HELEL, USE GARU!" shouted Naoki to let Helel know that he is with him.

Helel raises his free arm to a stopping position and summons a strong gust of wind to blow the knives back to the blob. The monster screams in sheer agony as the knives pierce it's body letting out some sort of blue ooze. Helel flies quickly to the blob to for the finishing blow…a stab to the mask. With the power of his blade and the velocity of that intensity, the mask is simply crushed into smithereens. The shadowy creature becomes limb, falls over, and explodes into a fine dark cloud.

Helel turns around to Naoki with a sincere smile on his face. _**"Hello Naoki Juntomo. You have finally awakened to your power. I am your Persona,Helel, the reflection and manifestation of you in times of hardship."**_ His voice sounds a lot like Naoki's, only deeper and more mature sounding. Helel starts giving off a blue light and turns into a card. Naoki catches the card with the blank space replaced with an image of Helel. Underneath Helel's image is a word that says 'Fool'.

Naoki feels a little light headed and sits down. His vision is a little blurry and many thoughts are whizzing by in his head. For some reason, he wants to throw up if he wasn't fit. Miyuki comes over, holding her ribs, to give Naoki some support. They start going to the castle…

Meanwhile, Cybele is glancing at the monitors and checking the scanners to see ant more intruders. Just then, the door opens revealing a group of people with hooded cloaks over their face. Judging from their posture and height, they are probably in their late-teens or young adults. The cloaks are pure white with gold linings.

"Lord Cybele, we bear ill news." Spoke one of them.

"Do not worry my child. The Shadow has already been dealt with by our newest candidate." Stated Cybele

"Yes, but…it was more than that one Shadow." Said another

Cybele's eyes widen in horror as the scanners pick up 5…10…20 black dots appear. "Everyone, get to the Garden of Sanctuary! Chiasome and Juntomo are in danger!"

"Hang in there Naoki-kun! We're almost there!" Turns out Naoki was still holding onto those medicines from the drug store lady. They took some to relieve the pain to make walking a bit faster. Almost there…only 25 meters to go…20 meters…10 meters…7 meters…2 meters away from the entrance.

They were a meter away until three shadow-like humans intervened. They have tin helmets, rusty chainmail, and carrying lances. They might've been more frightening if it wasn't for the fact that they're 4 ft tall at most. Still, they look deadly.

"Don't worry Miyuki…there's only three of them. It's not like that they have reinforcements…" said Naoki as 10 more of those tin soldiers land behind them. "I take back what I just said. But Helel got our backs." He opens his hands for a second trying to gather energy. He crushes the card for…

…NOTHING! Naoki looks surprised and Miyuki's face starts losing color. He tries it a few more times, but Helel just won't show up. The shadowy beings are getting closer with each second. Slowly, but surely, they're backing into a corner.

(Come on! I need to summon Helel or else Miyuki will die!)

_And why do you care about her so much?_

Naoki stopped when he hears that voice…of a demon…or a really pissed off Chuck Norris. (W-What...?)

_Why do you care so much about her? You hardly know this person._

(W-Why..? Isn't it obvious? She's my friend!)

_Are you sure she is your friend? Or are you deluding yourself that she is your friend?_

Naoki is now speaking to thin air. "Of course she is my friend!"

_Oh really…then why do you agree to come here with a castle full of strangers?_

"I…well…" Naoki can't find the right words to respond. What is that voice trying to tell him?

_Perhaps I'll make this simple for your puny mind to comprehend…the truth is that something you suspect you are, but refuse to accept._

"Hey Naoki, I don't know what's going on, but can you hurry up?" yelled Miyuki as she tries to fend off the soldiers' assault.

(Something…that I suspect I am…but refuse to acknowledge? What could it possibly be?) Ponder Naoki. He tries to recall many things from his memory. His fighting nature... no, he knows that he fights. His false name?...again, no because he wholeheartedly accepts his name and himself.

Himself…wait a second…he remembers what he said to Miyuki

"Besides…the only reason I even came here…was to make some new friends. I guess that's pretty **selfish** of me, huh?"

_Do you understand fool? You might not be selfish…you ARE selfish! You crave friends to block out isolation! You had no other motive! Admit it!_

The voice echoed harshly in his head. So much that Naoki falls on one knee. He doesn't want to believe what the voice is saying. He doesn't want to accept it…

(But…it's true) thought Naoki (When I think about it, what that voice said is true. I AM selfish…) He hears Miyuki gasping for air for her second wind. Naoki starts feeling like he has power again. (But that doesn't mean I shouldn't try to protect the people who are dear to me!) He suddenly feels something in his left hand.

The object is the card earlier that night…except it's a red variation of it. He flips it over to see black space over this side. Like the previous card, it starts glowing, but blacker. Dark mist started to surround Naoki, yet he was more interested to the card. He started to smile like a crazy man with power. He whispers four words with emphasis…forever changing history.

"_Come Forth…My…Shadow"_

He crushes the card in his left hand and dark clouds start swirling around him. He screams in a mixture of agony and anticipation. Then his shadow started…to move on its own! After a couple of seconds Naoki's shadow appears to be trying to climb out of the floor. It stands up as a shadow version of Naoki. The shadow speaks like Naoki only more childish like.

"_**I am you…and you are me…from the dark depths of your soul…I have been released…"**_

The shadow starts gathering energy (the dark clouds), takes it all in, and releases the energy. Slowly the veil of shadow is being removed. The new figure stands with a mischievous grin on its face. The mentioned figure's limbs look metallic, with smooth cylinders and the joints are replaced with violet spheres. The torso is dressed with a loose yellow shirt with black stripes, a hat like those one pronged jester kinds that you see in medieval times, oversized gloves and shoes. And the face…the face looks more like a thick mask since you can't see the eyes and the mouth. It does some black flips and lands perfectly on its hands saying

"_**I am the Brave Fool, the shadow of Fools. Now let's get this show started."**_ Thankfully, it doesn't have a hint of Joker in this person…weirdo…thingy.

Miyuki looks wide eyed at the Brave Fool…in a repulsive way, but Naoki is just confused by all this. But what that thing is doesn't matter…no, it's going to them just like how Helel helped earlier. The tin soldiers flinched when the Brave Fool comes but they fearlessly charge it with their lances. Big mistake…

"BRAVE FOOL! BUFU!" yelled Naoki to the jester. The jester nods as it raises its hands and shoots out a blizzard freezing the soldiers in place. Naoki crushes them with his newly found stick (which has only 2+ Attack and 87 Hit Rate Ratio). Before he could turn around he got hit by some strong wind attacks. In response he does slams one of the with his stick as he sharply turns around, repeatedly bashes one on the head, and throws it to one of the soldiers.

"Don't worry Miyuki! There's a convenient pile of sticks that I could throw at them." He turns around only to see Brave Fool freeze each individual stick with a spike on top. The fool flashes a mischievous grin and tosses a handful to Naoki. The result…9 soldiers died, 15 seriously wounded, and one that went crazy and committed suicide. They waited for a minute…nothing. No more attacks, no more of those monsters, and no more sneak attacks.

Naoki lets go a sigh and focuses his eyes on the Brave Fool. He asks "So…you're me…and I'm you…right?"

The Brave Fool does some acrobatic tricks and says "Yes. I represent the madness and innocence of you. Not a hint of selfishness is in me. Aren't you glad you got to know me?" he…it asked with that grin pasted to his face. Naoki lies down on the porch.

"Yeah, I do. Nice to know who you really are."He said and grins to the night.

**In a corporate office a young man is stealthily sneaking pass through the guards. He climbs to the vents and crept silently to the stairs. He unlocks the double doors and blinds the security camera. He opens the cabinet and is searching through the files. He checks his surroundings until he sees the computer monitor and the thief is…Theodore!**

**Theo: What the-? *Quickly regains his composure* Well I suppose I should do the disclaimer since you're watching this. The Observer doesn't own the Persona series. He only owns the White Society, Miyuki, the Fool-lish boy, the variation of Helel, and the Shadow, Brave Fool.**

**Quickly checks his surroundings**

**Theo: Now at this point you're probably wondering why I'm here in Atlus. Well ,see I forgot to pick up a contract that Atlus owns me. Now you're probably thinking "Duh, they Do". While I'm aware of this fact, it came to my attention that Atlus will sell me to a fangirl and honestly, I don't want think what she'll do to me *image of Noriko Kashiwagi appears in his head* AAAAHHHHH! Got to find those documents before it's too late! Sorry everyone, but I REALLY need to find those. For now, goodbye!**


End file.
